Assam: Transgenders harass people in the name of begging money, says MLA Mrinal Saikia

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Mrinal Saikia on December 20 said that transgenders often harass people in the name of begging money at several places across the state.

Saikia said this while speaking in the Assembly, on December 20, where he also lauded the Assam government for adding "transgender" as an identity category for people seeking civil service jobs. 

''Today I want to speak about another problem in the state which has come from the transgender community in the state. The first is a transgender who faces problems on a daily basis. The second is the kind of harassment that people face from them is another nuisance. They spread around railway stations and bus stands and harass people in the name of begging money,'' he added.

Saikia who is MLA from the Khumtai constituency also quoted IPC 268 in support of his speech to explain what exactly transgender acts amount to. 

Notably, IPC Section 268 clearly states that a person is guilty of a public nuisance who does any act or is guilty of an illegal omission that causes any common injury, danger, or annoyance to the public or to the people in general who dwell or occupy property in the vicinity, or which must necessarily cause injury, obstruction, danger or annoyance to persons. 

Notably, on several occasions, transgenders have been caught harassing people at places like bus stands, railway stations, taxi stands, and especially on the train where the level of their harassment goes another level.

In October 2020, Assam became the first Indian state to add ''transgender'' as an identity category for people seeking civil services jobs. 

The move of adding transgenders came after the Assam government in a letter dated September 11 had asked the APSC to allow transgenders to fill out applications for the state civil services exams.

Also read: Assam: Grade-IV employees of provincialised ME schools protest against government demanding hike in salary